CHARLOTTE — From competing side-by-side on the practice field to sitting side-by-side in front of reporters at the ACC Kickoff, the battle has only begun for UNC quarterbacks Conner Harrell and Max Johnson.
With edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, linebacker Power Echols and running back Omarion Hampton also representing the Tar Heels at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Harrell, Johnson and head coach Mack Brown garnered the most attention throughout the day as reporters dug for any insight on who will take the first snap against Minnesota on Aug. 29.
However, UNC, which attended the event without Jacolby Criswell, the third party in the quarterback race, ended the day without much indication of who or when a decision will be made — other than a little jest from Brown.
“Mark Packer just told me to tell you all when you ask who the starting quarterback is, ‘You’ll know when we break the huddle in the first game,’” Brown said.
But, as much as there’s a want to know who’ll get the nod for week one, there’s also the questions of how much this quarterback decision matters for the Tar Heels and if there’s a wrong answer at all.
Other than the fact that it came down to two prospects instead of three, this quarterback battle feels like the one ahead of the 2022 season in which Drake Maye beat out Criswell, recorded one of the best statistical seasons in UNC history and led the team to the ACC title game.
The Tar Heels entered that season unranked and without much national attention, similar to this year in which there’s hasn’t been much hype surrounding UNC.
Maye also had plenty of weapons that season, including Antoine Green, Josh Downs, a deep tight end corps and a young running back duo of Hampton and Elijah Green.
Coming into this season, whoever starts will have a more experienced receiver room of J.J. Jones, Kobe Paysour, Nate McCollum and Bryson Nesbit.
“We have, I think, really good players in every position,” Harrell said. “I think it’s going to be important to use everybody.”
Said Brown, “Defenses will be focusing on Omarion. They’ll stack the box. That helps your quarterback. It makes the passing game simpler when they’ve got too many around the line of scrimmage…We’ve got to spread things out enough because we got good enough receivers, (and) we’ve got good enough tight ends that they can’t just focus on Omarion. What we’ve got to do is figure out is it Max, is it Conner, is it Jacolby and what do they do best?”
If the race is truly as tight as UNC suggests, it seems like it could just plug any of them in the offense and let them work within the flow of the offense. But if there’s anything to take away from the Maye and Sam Howell eras, it’s that UNC will need more than a system quarterback to win games.
A big part of Howell and Maye’s success was their ability to stretch plays with their legs and make dynamic throws on the run.
When asked how either of them can add their own flair to the UNC quarterback position, both Harrell and Johnson responded along the same lines of what their predecessors did.
“I don’t get as much credit for the way I can run,” Johnson said. “I think people think I’m just the kind that sits in the pocket. I think I have the opportunity to showcase that I’m very, very accurate, (and) I can make great decisions…Being able to play in so many systems, I’ve learned from so many great people, so many great coordinators, learned so many different offenses and what certain things work against what defenses and what doesn’t.”
Said Harrell, “UNC has definitely seen a lot, but I’m very dynamic and can make any throw…I know I have the speed. I know I can get out of a situation if I need to. I can do that and also pick apart defenses, and that’s been really hard to stop.”
The importance of this quarterback decision will also depend on how improved the defense will be. Rucker and Echols talked about how new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins has set a standard of having the best defense in college football, which would be an enormous jump from last season.
If the defense can be just good enough to complement the Tar Heels’ offense — and even win a few games for UNC — that’ll take pressure off of the quarterback and help make the starter decision less about filling in for greatness and more of filling in a need.
